Late-Model Vehicles Are Growing Increasingly Complex
People are often selling their late-model vehicles to us just to start over with a clean slate. For, gone are the days when vehicles had only a few major parts to worry about and could be worked on by anyone with a toolbox and the time. Nowadays, you don’t have a simple carburetor and a big spacious open engine bay to reach all those plugs, wires, and filters. No, vehicles today sometimes require removing the entire engine just to change out the oxygen sensors. The Volkswagen W12 engine, available in its Phaeton and also sold in other Audi A8 models, is exactly such an engine.
In fact, changing something out as simple as an oil pan gasket can require a number of special tools and sealants that all have to be applied within a narrow window of time to accomplish the repair without leaks. Many Volkswagen and Audi engines require numerous hex and other complex multi-directional star bolt torque patterns and sealants to simply change the gasket.
And it is not just German vehicles that are over-engineered and prone to fall apart without complex and perfect maintenance. Even a domestic vehicle like a Chevy can fall apart after a few years from electrical gremlins and built-up internal resistance. The fuse box panels on the HHR models are the perfect example. There is not a whole lot that you can do when you neglect your vehicle and the mechanic tells you that they need 40 hours to experiment on it for an adequate diagnostic. Basically, the sky is the limit when you fail to carry out preventative maintenance and let little things slip.
The Importance of Vehicle Maintenance
Vehicle maintenance is critical to saving and retaining your investment. When you develop something as small as an oil leak from a gasket, the next thing you know there is no first gear left in your transmission. You think that clunking noise is annoying now, just wait until you see how torn up your control arm bushings get when your ball joints get worn down.
Not ready to take care of that electrical gremlin that locked you out of your vehicle last month because it rarely happens, just wait until the condition becomes permanent and no one knows why. A lot of late-model car owners have an otherwise excellent non-running car sitting in their driveway or yard simply because they lapsed on maintenance and now have no clue how to fix it and get it running again.
When this happens, there is really no solution other than finding a clean slate to start over again. This is because any lapse in preventative maintenance can leave you with a can of worms when it comes to diagnostics. If your fuel pump, fuel filter, and injectors are all extremely aged and worn, replacing parts piecemeal may do little or nothing to solve a low-pressure problem.
Car Maintenance Tips
The foundation of retaining a perfect maintenance record should be on a vehicle that already has a perfect record. If you purchased your vehicle brand-new or a Certified Pre-Owned program model that passed rigorous testing and came with a solid warranty, then you probably have the fresh start that you need to keep up the upkeep.
Use a Full Synthetic Oil
You can start by having your oil changed regularly at the dealership with a full synthetic oil and a factory-quality filter that has a bypass valve. A lot of premature wear can be inflicted upon an engine with an easy-to-clog oil filter. Most of the better-quality filters will have a built-in bypass valve, but not all filters do. Buyer beware when you take your vehicle to quick lube shops that use the cheapest filters and high volume conventional oil to offer you enticing prices.
A high-quality synthetic oil should last for 10,000 miles or 6 months. The oil that is used today has so many additives in the premium brands that do a lot more than simply lubricate your engine like dino oil. These additives like molybdenum and graphite will help protect your engine under heavy loads by creating a coating to aid in lubrication even when the oil breaks down. The synthetic additives also will reduce the volatilization that burns up the oil. Modern motor lubricants even absorb the acids produced by combustion which weaken and erode your internal engine parts. A specialist will even use the correct weight of oil year-round to ensure that you do not wear out your engine prematurely from dry starts.
Flush Your Brake Fluid
Because your brake fluid is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. This often occurs at micropores in seals and unions of the system. If the brake fluid didn’t absorb the moisture, you would develop internal corrosion and damage very quickly. If you don’t replace the fluid every 2 or 3 years, however, you will find that the brakes don’t work as well as they used to work because the fluid is actually boiling inside. The water it absorbs over time, especially in humid areas, will lower the boiling point and make it less effective in sending hydraulic pressure to the calipers.
Have Your Vehicle Inspected During Any Service
Most quality car repair shops will provide a courtesy inspection when you have your oil changed or another service done. If your timing belt is past due, the brake fluid is contaminated, or they spot any leaks, you’ll be the first to know about it. While they may be presumptuous from time to time and raise false alarms, you can usually trust their judgment when something is wrong and asking to take a close look yourself.
Some issues you might want to be aware of, however, are that if you have cracks in your control arm bushings, they may be superficial. Just because there is a little bit of decomposition or stress going on there doesn’t mean that they are necessarily bad. Unless your steering feels incredibly loose and sloppy, it is better to hold off on replacing them.
Another trick is to say that there is a hole in your muffler to get you to replace it. Many mufflers have a weeping hole for the water vapor of the exhaust to drain out from when the vehicle is shut off and sitting. Otherwise, the water would sit in the muffler and rust it out from the inside.
Also, remember that it is very common to have leaks with synthetic motor oil even if you replaced an oil pan gasket a few years ago. The synthetics are full of detergents and are prone to leaking whenever they have the opportunity. Trying a bottle of stop-leak from your local auto parts store might be the first instant fix attempt.
Sell Your Dead Car or Vehicle
With these car maintenance tips in mind, you should be able to retain your next investment for a very long time. When you are ready to get rid of the lemon, junker, no-start vehicle, or eyesore from your property, visit 1800CashForJunkCars and get it over and done with so that you can go out and start your new lease on life. 1800CashForJunkCars offers you convenient and free offers. It is an easy process and can be done in a matter of minutes to put cash in your pocket when you are ready to give up on that oversized paperweight.
